Coloured Contacts Aftercare: 10 Golden Rules

Cosmetic contact lenses are a great way to complete any costume or even switch up your everyday look, but to get the best out of your lenses, it's really important to follow our coloured contacts aftercare advice. To help you, we've put together this handy list of the top 10 'golden rules' for contact lenses aftercare, plus a few tips and precautions to guarantee you have the safest and most comfortable wearing experience.

Follow these golden rules and we're sure that you'll love coloured contact lenses as much as we do!

1. Clean Hands = Clean Contacts

This one may seem simple, but it's probably one of the most important things to remember when wearing contact lenses. ALWAYS make sure your hands are completely clean before handling your contact lenses, which includes during inserting and removing.

Why?Because any dirt or bacteria on your lenses could not only cause irritation and infection, but if there is any sharp debris on your contact lenses this could scratch the surface of the eye, causing pain and possibly affect your vision.

2. Remove Before You Snooze

Sleeping in contact lenses of any kind is a big mistake, regardless of whether they are single use or reusable. Always remove your coloured contacts before you nod off and it's a good idea to do it before you get too tired so you can make sure you store them properly (or dispose of them properly!)

Why? Sleeping in your contacts will cause your eyes to dry out significantly which will result in redness, itching and pain the next day (not a good look!). In extreme cases, contact lenses can become almost stuck to the surface of eye because of the lack of moisture, trying to remove them immediately could cause damage to the eye. If, however, you do fall asleep in your lenses, please do not panic, simply leave the contact lenses in a little longer and blink regularly before trying to remove them, by doing this, you will encourage some moisture back into the eyes and they will be easier to remove. We would encourage anyone to seek a medical assessment if they experience any irritation due to sleeping in cosmetic contact lenses.

3. Sharing Isn't Caring

Contact lenses are just one of those things in life that dictate the need to be selfish, so sharing with your friends is not an option. You probably wouldn't share your toothbrush with a friend, and you definitely shouldn't share contact lenses.You must only wear your own contact lenses, so if your mates are super jealous of your cool accessories, direct them to our website and tell them to get their own!

Why? Due to the personal nature of these accessories and the fact that they are actually inserted into the eye, you cannot share them with others. Doing so could result in spreading of bacteria, infection and other nasty eye conditions.

4. Store Them Safely

How you look after your contact lenses is just as important as how you use them, particularly when it comes to reusable styles. You should always store them in approved eye-safe solution and a suitable storage pot. At Coloured Contacts we offer an eye care kit that contains both the solution and the pot, so it's always a good idea to add this to your basket before you check out with your new lenses.

Why? Contact lenses are a very delicate product and therefore can become easily damaged, which is exactly why we advise keeping them in a suitable contact lens pot that secures them and prevents any knocks or scratches. Contact lenses are also designed to be worn in the eye which is moist; without moisture, your contact lenses will dry up so much that they cannot be worn again and will have to be thrown away, so by storing them in solution whenever you aren't wearing them, you can preserve your lenses lifespan and ensure they will last for their full duration.

5. Opticians Are Your Best Friends

Even though all of our contact lenses are non-corrective and do not require a prescription, this does not negate the need for a check up wth the optician. We always advise any of our customers to visit their optician prior to buying cosmetic contact lenses to check the health of the eye and determine if you would be a good candidate to use the accessories; providing you do not have any existing conditions or eye health concerns. After purchasing your contact lenses, we still recommend that you attend regular appointments with your optician to confirm that use of cosmetic lenses is as it should be or to identify any minor irritations before they become issues. By following our ten golden rules, you should not have any problems at all, but couple this with a good relationship with your optician and you can guarantee a great wearing experience.

Why? If you do not visit your optician after wearing contact lenses, even the most minor irritation will go undiagnosed and could result in an infection or worse. Seeing an optician prior to purchasing contact lenses is an absolute must because cosmetic contact lenses are not suitable for everyone, particularly if you have existing ocular problems or concerns, so please ensure you don't skip this step.

6. Wetter is NOT better

This may contradict our advice about keeping your contact lenses moist but golden rule number 6 actually refers to all kinds of water (not solution). You should never wear your contact lenses during swimming, bathing, showering or any other activity where you may be at risk of getting water in your eyes. Getting some tap water on your contact lenses might seem harmless enough, it's clean right? But contact lenses actually require a very specific eye-safe solution to keep them moist, normal tap water is not suitable as it will damage your lenses.

Why? If you get water (or any other liquids apart from contact lens eye drops) in your eyes whilst wearing contact lenses, the water will not only damage the lenses but will become trapped between the fine lens and the surface of the eyes, making your vision blurry and causing your eyes to be very red and sore. So always remove them before you get wet!

7. Contact Lenses Should Be Au Naturel

You may love nothing more than completing your cosmetic contact lens look with fancy make-up, hair sprays, deodorants and perfumes, but just remember your contact lenses are very delicate accessories that prefer the natural approach! It is very important to avoid getting any of these strong, chemical products on your lenses so our advice is to put your contact lenses in BEFORE applying make up, do not put any eyeliner on the inside rim of the eye and keep your eyes very tightly closed when spraying any perfumes or deodorants etc.

Why? Anyone who's ever poked themselves in the eye with a mascara wand or accidentally sprayed some hairspray/perfume in their eye knows that it stings A LOT. The dangerous thing about doing this with contact lenses in is that the residue of the chemical can become stuck behind the contact lens and forced against the surface of the eye, causing even more pain and irritation than ever. Not only that, but the contact lenses themselves can become damaged when exposed to harsh chemicals or substances.

8. Not Okay? Throw Away!

Contact lenses are delicate and as such, can become scratched, torn or damaged through various things. If you notice any damage or marks at all on your lenses, unfortunately you must not continue to wear them and should dispose of them immediately. You can prevent the risk of your contact lenses becoming scratched or broken by never letting them come into contact with other surfaces and storing them safely and securely in a pot full of solution.

Why? Not only will you notice pain if you wear a pair of scratched contact lenses, but they can easily damage the surface of the eye causing irritation, infection and in some cases even vision damage.

9. Keep It Short & Sweet

We know that customers love the cool effect of our coloured contact lenses so much that it can be tempting to wear them again and again, for even longer than the specified time duration. This is highly inadvisable. Each style of cosmetic contact lens comes with a specific duration of wear stated on the box. This time frame can be anything from 1 day (single use) all the way up to 1 year (reusable) with other various options available in between. Whatever duration your lenses state, this time period is counted from the moment you open the lenses and wear them; for example, if you wear 1 year lenses on January 1st 2016, they will be good to reuse up until January 1st 2017, provided there are no issues. If your lenses are 1 day/single use, they will be formulated differently and will only be suitable to wear for one day; for example if you put them in in the morning you will need to dispose of them at night. Under no circumstances should you ignore the duration stated on the package and wear the lenses for longer.

Why? Each of our pairs of coloured contacts are formulated in a way to suit their duration of wear. The one year lenses will be made thicker and have a more breathable, moisture-promoting consistency which will keep them wearable for longer, whereas the daily contacts are a thinner, lightweight version that will only be suitable for a one day period. Wearing your contact lenses for longer than the stipulated time could result in irritation, infection and blistering of the surface of the eye.

10. Choose Wisely

Always ensure you purchase your coloured contact lenses from a reputable company like ourselves. These accessories are going to be inserted into one of the most delicate and important organs of your body, the eyes, so you must make sure that they are high quality and reliable. If you choose a reputable company like Coloured Contacts, you can benefit from our commitment to sourcing cosmetic lenses from only well-known brands like Eyefusion, Eyecasions and Mesmereyez that all use high quality materials and construct their products in a way that makes them durable and safe.

Why? It may seem like you could pick up cosmetic contact lenses cheaply in some high street shops or market stalls, but when it comes to your eye health, it is far better to buy from a trusted source with experience in the industry. With twenty years know-how, our team can ensure that you have a great experience both buying and wearing your contact lenses, without any complications.

Tips:

When inserting or removing contact lenses, use a mirror and do it in a well lit room for maximum visibility.

When inserting contact lenses, use the opposite hand to lift the eyelid and the other hand to place the lens in the centre of the eye.

You can use eye drops to keep your eyes nice and moist whilst wearing contact lenses, just make sure they state that they are contact lens safe.

If you have accidentally slept in your contact lenses, wait a couple of hours for the natural moisture to return to your eyes before trying to remove them.

Wearing your contacts for more than 6/8 hours at a time can cause your eyes to become a little dry and tried, so it's a good idea to take a break when you can.

Precautions:

Do not wear cosmetic contact lenses if you suffer from the following: Eye infections, Conjunctivitis, corneal conditions such as Keratitis, allergic eye conditions such as Hayfever, chronic or serious eye disease such as Glaucoma, inflammation of the eye like Uveitis, corneal ulcers or corneal dystrophies.

Do not wear cosmetic contact lenses without consulting an optician.

Always seek medical attention if you experience any irritation, soreness, redness or puffiness of the eyes after wearing cosmetic contact lenses.

That's All For Now!

There we have it guys and girls, if you remember to follow these 10 Golden Rules, you will be able to wear your coloured contact lenses to their full potential whilst looking and feeling great!